Mr. Darcy traveled back to the Castle Tavern Inn and spoke with the owner. He ordered refreshments and blankets. Mr. Darcy offered the use of his carriage for the Inn to deliver the food, hot beverages and blankets to the men working to find Elizabeth's sister. The owner was much obliged and quickly platters of sandwiches as well as hot tea was ready to be delivered.

Mr. Darcy was gratified to find that Col. Fitzwilliam sent soldiers to check the roads traveling out of Brighton. No one was sure how far the caves continued until several of the locals arrived. They had come to help once they knew something was happening in the gardens. The underground cave system went on for miles they told Col. Fitzwilliam.

"I do not think Miss Lydia would be able to travel that far though as she was in a day dress and walking shoes," stated Col. Fitzwilliam to the gathered men. "Mr. Wickham as a soldier would be able to walk much farther. If his goal was not to run off with Miss Lydia, but desertion, we may be find her alone somewhere in the cave system."

All search parties that reported in were not sent back out until they had gotten warmed from the hot beverages and blankets. They went back out with blankets and a carafe of hot liquid to stay warm and for Lydia, if they found her. No one felt like keeping any hot liquid or blankets for Wickham. Sentiment ran high against him for going down in a cave system with an unmarried young woman and getting lost even though he was a soldier and should have known better.

It had been hours, and they still had not been found yet. Mr. Gardiner had stayed at the pleasure gardens but it was obvious that it was far past time for him to go back to the inn. Mr. Darcy convinced him to that his wife and niece were probably awake and unable to sleep with worry. It would be much better for the Gardiners if they could sleep and be ready for when Lydia was found.

Mr. Darcy dropped off Mr. Gardiner at the New Ship Inn during one of his runs to the Castle Tavern Inn for more refreshments. He did not go into the inn with Mr. Gardiner because if Elizabeth was awake and waiting downstairs, she would not want him to see her upset. And if she was upstairs sleeping, he had no reason to go into the inn at all then.

The local men were invaluable to the search parties as they knew of some other passages that led to the caves. One man produced a crude map of the cave system along with one other entry point in the town.

Searchers were sent out in groups of two, so that when they found Lydia and if she was alone, she would be kept respectable by having two men with her instead of just one. Therefore she would not be compromised, if she had not been already been by Wickham. He did not think his cousin's order was foolish, even though the scandal from it could already have ruined her. Col. Fitzwilliam was doing everything he could to ensure that no scandal came from their search efforts to Lydia. Though he probably was only concerned about no scandal reaching Elizabeth.

"Fitz, why you are still here?" Col. Fitzwilliam blurted when his cousin appeared suddenly at his side. "There is nothing for you to do and it is much too dangerous for you to go down in the caves."

Mr. Darcy raised his eyebrows. "Where did you think those sandwiches and hot tea came from? The fairies?"

Col. Fitzwilliam held up a sandwich. "You mean… you have provided this?"

Mr. Darcy lifted one side of his mouth. "Yes. I have been running my carriage back and forth to the Castle Tavern Inn to bring hot beverages, sandwiches and blankets and taking back spent soldiers."

Col. Fitzwilliam raised his eyebrows. "Blazes, Fitz! That has to be quite a tidy sum of money you have outlaid."

Mr. Darcy gave him a flat stare. "I can certainly afford it. Besides, I feel it is my duty at the very least as I did not let anyone in Meryton know about Wickham's true nature."

Col. Fitzwilliam shook his head as he swallowed a bite of sandwich. "It is not your fault. The blame is sorely on Wickham's shoulders. When we find that lout...I would not be surprised if he comes back to camp worse for wear."

"I would not gamble on that at all. As a matter of fact I might even join them."

Col. Fitzwilliam stopped chewing and stared. "You? Pummel Wickham?"

"You of all people should know how much I have wanted to thrash him over his lifetime. This is the perfect opportunity. However as I am no relation to the missing woman, it would be scandalous if I did give Wickham the thrashing he so deserves."

Col. Fitzwilliam studied his cousin. "You care for her very much, do you not?"

Mr. Darcy looked at him quizzically.

"No, not Miss Lydia. Her sister."

Mr. Darcy looked back at the well where several soldiers were standing waiting for the search teams to report in. "I do like her." He shook his head. "There is nothing to be done about it. You know what happened the last time I offered."

"Do not be a nodcock, Fitz. I could tell she had a fondness for you. I think you might be surprised and find that she has changed her mind about you." Col. Fitzwilliam glanced at his cousin and then focused on the black opening of the well.

Mr. Darcy shook his head and said nothing more.

—

When Mr. Gardiner had walked into the inn, Elizabeth and her aunt rushed towards him with cries of happiness and hugs. It was not until they stepped back and saw his countenance that their shoulders drooped. Lydia was still missing.

"Are the searches being run well?" Asked Mrs. Gardiner. "Do they think they will be able to find her?"

Mr. Gardiner held his wife. "The searches are run in a very proficient manner by Col. Fitzwilliam. He is doing everything I would have done and more. I have no doubt whatsoever that she will be found. He has been very thorough with marking areas that have been searched and employing the search teams with necessary provisions to stay warm and not lost."

Elizabeth smiled yet felt pangs of sadness as Col. Fitzwilliam was Mr. Darcy's cousin, which reminded her of the man himself. She was surprised though that Col. Fitzwilliam was so involved in searching for Lydia when his cousin could not run away fast enough. Perhaps having a member of the Army missing made Col. Fitzwilliam feel he had a duty.

"There is no use for us to stay awake." Said Mr. Gardiner. "They will bring her here when they find her. Our staying awake will do nothing."

They climbed the stairs to their rooms, quiet except for the creaking of the steps.

Elizabeth brushed her hair and climbed into bed. The covers were already warm with a warming brick at her feet. "Poor Lydia." Her sister would be all alone and cold in the caves. Even though Mr. Wickham was a scoundrel, hopefully he had not deserted her. It would be terrifying to be lost in an underground cave in the dark. Elizabeth shivered.

She was so exhausted from worry that she quickly fell asleep to dreams of running in the dark, trying to find a way out from something. She would see Mr. Darcy yelling for help but then he would turn his back on her and walk away.

Elizabeth woke to the sound of pounding in the hallway and loud voices. She jumped out of bed and pulled on a robe. Could Lydia have been found?

The room Elizabeth was in was really servant's room. It was small and connected to the larger room the Gardiner's were in, by a connecting door. She did not have to go out in the hall but just through the connecting door. She knocked and her aunt opened it as if she had been standing there already.

"Has she been-"

"She has been found!"

Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner hugged fiercely.

"Come in. She has just arrived."

Elizabeth followed Mr. Gardiner through the connecting door to see Lydia bundled in blankets, pale and shivering.

Mr. Gardiner opened the room's door to admit servants carrying a tub. The inn's owner and wife carried in buckets of heated water.

"It was smart of you to order a hot bath to warm her up." Mrs. Gardiner complimented her husband.

Elizabeth noted that Mr. Gardiner seemed just as surprised to see the tub delivered. It was probably the owner's wife that thought of it. Elizabeth realized that there was a cost associated to the search for Lydia. A heated bath in the middle of the night could not be cheap. Just then a platter of food arrived. She rubbed her forehead as she knew Mr. Bennet could never repay the expenses her uncle had incurred on this trip.

Mrs. Gardiner led Lydia behind a screen to undress get into the hot tub. Lydia had not even spoken as she could not stop her teeth from chattering.

"When Lydia is warmed and able to speak, we need to bring her down to the sitting room. They had not been able to question her due to her being unable to speak from the cold."

Elizabeth turned to her uncle. "Question her as to why they did something so stupid? Could that not wait until the morning?"

Mr. Gardiner rubbed his face. "No, Mr. Wickham has not been found."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to ask for details but her uncle held up his hand and she closed her mouth.

"All I know is from what I was just briefly told by Col. Fitzwilliam. One of the search teams found her alone, huddled on the floor of a recessed cavern in one of the many tunnels. She shook her head when they asked if Mr. Wickham had harmed her."

Elizabeth closed her eyes and breathed out in relief.

"We are very fortunate."

Elizabeth's pain in her stomach came back when she realized that did not rule out her being compromised by Mr. Wickham willingly. She rubbed her forehead and wrapped an arm around her waist. Now they had to wait for Lydia to get warm and tell them what had happened.

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